A Watermellon Cucumber Mojito is photographed at the new Katsuya is a very chic, LA-style japanese restaurant newly opened in West Ave. Photos taken Wednesday evening March 21, 2012.
Nathan Lindstrom/Special to the Chronicle
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A Watermellon Cucumber Mojito is photographed at the new Katsuya is a very chic, LA-style japanese restaurant newly opened in West Ave. Photos taken Wednesday evening March 21, 2012.
Nathan Lindstrom/Special ... more

Drinks called Cool as a Cucumber, left, The Motive, center, and Darlin' Nikki, right, displayed at Monarch where Jonathan Jones is the chef shown at the Hotel Zaza, 5701 Main St., Thursday, April 11, 2013, in Houston. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) less

Drinks called Cool as a Cucumber, left, The Motive, center, and Darlin' Nikki, right, displayed at Monarch where Jonathan Jones is the chef shown at the Hotel Zaza, 5701 Main St., Thursday, April 11, 2013, in ... more

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff

Where the OTC swells congregate: Houston's posh dining, drinking

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More than 100 countries will be represented at this year's Offshore Technology Conference. That's a lot of different cultures and customs to consider. But what is the one language they all speak? You were going to say energy, right?

True, but OTC's lingua franca might also be good food/good drink/good times. Houston restaurants and bars are ready to interpret for you. While all levels of hospitality are available in Houston's enviable food and wine arena, OTC presents an opportunity for energy princes and princesses to live it up in royal fashion. Here are some of the city's more plush and pricey places to hang your crown during OTC.

Triniti Restaurant & Bar

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Overloaded on all the talk of energy? Your brain needs a break, and your palate needs something comforting. Head over to the soothing environs of the sleekly designed Triniti restaurant, where the Monday-Friday happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. features 45 cocktails, including a blackberry margarita and craft cocktails such as the Broken Clock (gin, raspberry, grapefruit and jalapeno) and the Big Apricot (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, sweet vermouth, apricot and bitters). There's a bar bites menu too of $4 plates such as campechana, tuna poke, sloppy joes and Devil's on Horseback. The restaurant's bar area has recently been redesigned to accommodate serious drinkers. 2815 S. Shepherd, 713-527-9090.

The Capital Grille

A steakhouse might be a predictable place for big meats and big cocktails. But that's the beauty: You know what you're getting when you venture into the white tablecloth land of steakhouses such as The Capital Grille in Houston's Galleria neighborhood. Here the beef is dry- aged and the martinis are cold and wet. The Capital Grille also prides itself on serving more than 350 world-class wines, including Old World beauties and New World charmers. Whether it's a chianti from Tuscany or a pinot noir from Oregon, it'll be at this place where the big boys play. 5365 Westheimer, 713-623-4600.

Phil's Wine Lounge at Philippe Restaurant & Lounge

On the ground floor of this upscale Galleria-area restaurant, you'll find a place where all the pretty young things are sipping fizzy flutes of Krug, Perrier-Jouet and Bollinger. The recently inaugurated Phil's Wine Lounge isn't just about bubbles, though: grape juice lovers can drop serious cash on one of the city's most serious wine programs. Opus One, anyone? The lively bar boasts 88 wines by the glass and a cocktail list with old school classics and mixologist-minded newbies. 1800 Post Oak Blvd., 713-439-1000.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House

Go ahead and fly like an eagle during OTC. But just make sure to land safely at Del Frisco's, where expense account dandies like to nest. Tucked into the Galleria, the restaurant is both a welcoming refuge for big spenders and a place to puff out your chest a bit. Classic cocktails such as the martini, Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Sazerac may rule. But don't count out craft cocktails for spring such as The Grand Orange made with Grand Marnier, lime and mint, or a pomegranate Margarita made with Avion Reposado Tequila. Hey, if Avion is good enough for the "Entourage" crowd, it's good enough for the OTC crowd. 5061 Westheimer, 713-355-2600

Monarch, Hotel ZaZa

The ZaZa is fully booked for OTC, so expect the posh hotel's Monarch bar to be at full tilt. And why shouldn't it be? The party palace has one of the most inviting cocktail menus, with boozy charmers such as the Asian Flower (Bombay Sapphire, lemongrass and champagne) and The Motive (Cinco Vodka, St. Germain and grapefruit bitters). If brown spirits are your thing, the scotch menu boasts about two dozen offerings including Balvenie 17 year, Glenlivet 18 year and Macallan 21 year. And this being a full-service hotel, there's a full complement of bar bites to keep you from completely losing your head. 5701 Main, 713-526-1991.

Katsuya by Starck

No, you are not hallucinating. Those really are giant candy apple lips and kohl-smudged eyes beckoning you into the trippy/fantastical Dragon Lounge at Katsuya, the Asian-themed playground tucked into the West Ave mixed-used development on Kirby. The social hour (Monday-Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.) features $4-$9 signature dishes such as Wagyu beef sliders, crispy sesame tuna and robata grilled dishes. But it's the specialty drinks that keep the cocktailian slithering back to the bar for a Burning Mandarin (Absolut Mandarin and hand-crushed Serrano chile with fresh lemon and orange juice) or the Watermelon Cucumber Mojito. 2800 Kirby, 713-590-2800.